Barrel mfg. suggestions for building a 243win.

[brad1985]

I am planing to build a 243win. off of a rem.700 action to primarily deer hunt and target shoot under 400yds. I would like to shoot 85grbarnes tsx,90gr.scirrocos,95gr.vlds,and100gr.partion style bullets.I would like for the barrel to be finished @ 24inches in a sporter to varmint weight.
What BARREL MFG.. and RATE OF TWIST would you recomend hart,schilen,krieger,or some other mfg?

 

[therifler]

You can ask the bullet Mfg. and barrel maker when you make your choice . I have been partial to Bartlien but you are looking at a 6month wait for barrels . I have heard good things about Hart but have not used them personally . I have put harts on for several customers upon their request have not heard any negative reports . If you look at this sight you will find some comments about barrel Mfg. and what shooters think of them . From your bullet choices 85 -100grs. I would recommend 9 twist .I have built some 6mm with 9 twist and it seems they stabilize that range fairly well . www.therifler.com

 

[oldroper]

I've never shot a 95gr VLD in my 1/10 twist 6mm so cann't say how that do but for the other bullets you mentioned a 1/10 twist be fine. I used a Hart 1/10 twist barrel on my last 243AI/243.

I may do another 243 and I think I'll use either Bartlein/Kreiger 5r 1/10 twist barrel. I've got a Bartlein 5r on my 30-06 another up gunsmith for a 280AI and Kreiger 30cal 5r should be here next month. I'm really getting to like those 5r barrel. Broughton also make a 5c barrel thats a pretty nice barrerl.

What I'm getting this year was in the work last year most all my stuff is just rebarrels and I got a good gunsmith.

I always call it a meeting of the minds between me and my gunsmith as to twist etc if there any question as to bullet/twist he'll call talk to the barrel guys see what works best.

You should want your gunsmith input he's the guy who has to stand by what he does. He may suggtest a 9.5 twist based on his experience.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

I had a similar post on here recently for a 6br build and most of the suggestions were for a Bartlein or a Krieger in the 5r configuration and whatever twist you find sufficient to do the job. The smith I'm dealing with used to make barrels for Krieger so he is very partial to theirs or Bartleins. The 5r rifling, from what I have been told, cleans alot easier than conventional rifling and the cut rifling barrels seem to last a bit longer!

Mike

 

[Steve Blair]

I use a 9" twist in my 6mm Remingtons and they shoot everything from 55 grain Noslers to Sierra and Berger 95s. The Hornady 58 V-Max at ~4050 is a particular favorite.

My experience with cut rifled vs button vs hammer forged vs broached barrels is that I have seen little difference in round count. The milder cartridges like .308 Win and 6mm BR provide good, predictable barrel life. High-intensity cartridges like the 6mm Remington can kill a barrel in less than 1000 rounds. The best I have ever gotten from a .244 or 6mm Remington was 1200. The only observed difference is that cut barrels, whether single point or broach, fail more gradually. Button and hammer forged barrels seem to fail quickly when they hit the wall. A lot will depend on how you define "fail".

As to manufacturers, I have shot most of the well known barrel makers' products and currently have the following blanks in inventory. You will note that they all have relatively fast twists. Once, it was a good practice to use the slowest twist you could to compensate for bullet quality. More recently, I have been able to shoot light bullets in fast twist barrels with little or no penalty.

Shilen 0.224 8.00 HV 28.00 Krieger 0.224 8.00 HV 29.25 Bartlein 0.243 7.50 MTU 31.00 Krieger 0.243 8.00 HV 27.25 Bartlein 0.243 8.00 HV 31.00 Bartlein 0.243 8.00 HV 31.00 Brux 0.284 9.00 MTU 31.00 Krieger 0.308 10.00 MTU 33.00

Currently, Bartlein is making a very good barrel. I have shot Shilens and Harts for years with excellent results. The Brux is my first. It and the .308 Krieger are going into a new Eliseo chassis with one of Jim Borden's tube gun actions. I am optimistic that it will shoot well.

 

[Bobs243Ackley]

Hello Brad,

I will be going to the following barrels for three of my rifles. Dan Dowling put a Douglas 8" twist on my 6/284, a Pac-Nor 12" twist on my .243 Ackley, and a Satern 7.7" twist, 5S, for my 6CM. All of the barrels are in stainless steel. The Douglas, and Pac-Nor, are button barrels, and the Satern is a cut barrel. I have the utmost confidence that all of these barrels will work well. We are at a point in time that we are getting the best barrels that have been available to shooters at any point in time. I hope that this will help you with your decision.

Bob Blaine
Sinclair International, Inc.

 

[BlackHawk95]

I have had very good results from my Broughton 5C barrel in .243AI And have noticed this barrel is lasting much longer than the previous barrel I had.

I would get an 8 twist, at some point you will want to try the heavier bullets.

 

[bheadboy]

Brad,

I have had excellent results with Hart and when talking with Bobby and Wally Hart at R W Hart & Son, (cousins of Jerry Hart) all from the family of Bob & Clyde Hart the creators of Hart barrels - they think the 243AI is the real choice for preformance and accuracy in that case size. they recommend the 9twist most of the time.
Bobby and Wally have built all my custom rifles and xp's, super work.
Bob

 

[Ackman]

A good chamber by someone who really knows what they're doing is more critical than which barrel you choose. I have custom barrels from at least a dozen different manufacturers and they're all good, I'd buy any of them again. One that stands out is the Lothar Walther.....it's very accurate and as a 22-250AI shows less than 1/2 the wear I'd expect, and it doesn't copperfoul. Otherwise, I'd be hard pressed to choose any one maker over another.

I've 2 - 243AI's but don't shoot anything heavier than 70's. One is 13" twist, the other 9-1/2" twist. Same barrelmaker, chambered by the same smith with the same reamer. Both shoot well but it was easier finding a good load for the 13 twist than it was for the 9. With the bullets you plan to shoot, a 9 or 10 twist will be necessary. I wouldn't go with anything faster.

 

[kjcpoint]

Try a 3 groove 9 twist lilja. I think his barrels are top notch and he is 12 weeks out compared to the wisconsin barrels? riflebarrels.com

 

[X Ring Accuracy]

Comes down to this....which manufacturer do you deem best? I have had most manufacturers barrels in builds I have done, they all are good, some better, all above what you are doing. Just my .02

 

[rifleman700]

For the bullets you listed 1-10 twist is plenty. But a faster twist will not hurt anything. As far as barrels I would recommend Rockcreek 5r/ Krieger 5r or standard Shilen. Right now Rockcreek lead time is 8 weeks.